Spectrum

There is a growing acknowledgement that traditional spectrum policy of direct and specific allocation may not be not the right way to deal with inevitable increased demand. Various solutions range from sharing spectrum bands to developing secondary markets and providing incentives to non-market users for better usage of this scarce resource. Regulators and policy makers face the challenge of balancing innovation and investment with regulation.

Interview with Mr. Takorn Tantasith, Secretary General of NBTC, Thailand.

Widespread 5G uptake ten years away

A bullish outlook for 5G comes from Juniper Research, which predicts that service revenues will exceed $65 billion by 2025, compared to just $100 million during its first year of commercial services in 2020. Read

Continuing our coverage of spectrum auctions, Stefan Zehle explores further the pitfalls and implications for the public purse, drawing on key examples from the past decade.March 2015, Volume 43 Issue 01

In part two of his discussion of the ‘myth of 5G’, WILLIAM WEBB examines regulatory factors, spectrum issues and whether fixed-wireless access will be more than a promise - plus scenarios for the next few years

The pressure on terrestrial broadcasters to give spectrum to the mobile sector shows no sign of letting up. Roland Beutler, at Germany's Südwestrundfunk, a regional public broadcaster, puts his side of the debate.September 2015, Volume 43 Issue 03

The hype about the next generation of mobile technology is likely to gather pace in the next few years, but currently there is a lot of scepticism about whether it qualifies as an integrated, great leap in progress, as Marc Beishon finds in this round-upJuly 2016, Volume 44 Issue 02

Can broadcasting make the step into an increasingly mobile world? Roland Beutler discusses technology and business models in the context of public service remits, mobile network operators and the new world of 5G.October 2016, Volume 44 Issue 03

Regulatory Watch articles on Spectrum

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has used a “spectrum tune-up” meeting to propose an accelerated process for considering releases in the millimetre wave spectrum for 5G broadband, and has released a consultation paper on the topic.

The Swiss Federal Council has adopted a partial revision of the Telecommunications Act (TCA), and the draft legislation will now be dealt with by parliament. The revision covers broadband services that are replacing traditional telecoms services and gives greater weight to consumer concerns, promotes competition and deregulation, and simplifies administration.

Mexico’s 2013 telecom reform has brought benefits, spurring competition that has increased access and brought down mobile internet costs from among the highest in advanced economies to among the lowest, according to the OECD Telecommunication and Broadcasting Review of Mexico 2017.

EU member states have rejected a European Commission proposal to extend licences for wireless radio spectrum to last at least 25 years – one of the cornerstones of the EU executive’s new attempt to overhaul telecoms law, reports Euractiv.

A fierce debate has gripped Europe’s automobile industry that will shape the future of all cars sold across the region: how to get internet-connected vehicles to “talk” to each other while travelling on the road, reports the Financial Times.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has enacted reforms that it says will better enable providers to invest in next-generation networks. The FCC is also seeking comment on additional reforms, including how the FCC can expedite rebuilding and repairing broadband infrastructure after natural disasters.

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